Converting to vegetarian (read: not vegan) - 3 months later

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: Fern
Fresh vegetables are expensive.

Fresh green beans, asparagas, broccoli, brussel sprouts, even decent tomatoes seem expensive.

It depends on where you live. When I was up in rural PA, veggies were cheaper and more diverse in the standard grocery store. Down here in suburban NC, veggies are a lot more expensive, and for some reason not as diverse, except in specialty grocery stores. There is a lot more organic alternatives though.

Being a vegetarian doesn't mean gorging on "fresh" veggies though. Frozen veggies are cheap... and studies have shown are actually more nutritious than their "fresh" counterparts (except for locally grown stuff). Its also a matter of grains. For example, I make a cheap meal like so:

- Basmati rice
- Stir fried onions, mushrooms, garlic, toasted sesame oil
- Steamed brussel sprouts

- Quinoa with spices
- Steamed green peas
- Baked sweet potato

- Spinach fettuccine
- Sauce with diced tomatoes, basil, zucchini, carrots, chilies
- spring mix salad with basmati vinegar, olive oil, grated parmesan

- Medley of black beans, corn, chili powder and cumin
- Spanish rice
- Fresh avocado

Is this really so hard?

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: SagaLore

Originally posted by: Fern
Fresh vegetables are expensive.

Fresh green beans, asparagas, broccoli, brussel sprouts, even decent tomatoes seem expensive.

It depends on where you live. When I was up in rural PA, veggies were cheaper and more diverse in the standard grocery store. Down here in suburban NC, veggies are a lot more expensive, and for some reason not as diverse, except in specialty grocery stores. There is a lot more organic alternatives though.

Being a vegetarian doesn't mean gorging on "fresh" veggies though. Frozen veggies are cheap... and studies have shown are actually more nutritious than their "fresh" counterparts (except for locally grown stuff). Its also a matter of grains. For example, I make a cheap meal like so:

- Basmati rice
- Stir fried onions, mushrooms, garlic, toasted sesame oil
- Steamed brussel sprouts

- Quinoa with spices
- Steamed green peas
- Baked sweet potato

- Spinach fettuccine
- Sauce with diced tomatoes, basil, zucchini, carrots, chilies
- spring mix salad with basmati vinegar, olive oil, grated parmesan

- Medley of black beans, corn, chili powder and cumin
- Spanish rice
- Fresh avocado

Is this really so hard?

You're making me hungry.
I'm considering going vegan. Post more meal ideas if you have them

 

[foghorn67]

I couldn't do it. Not enough protein. Wouldn't be good since my metabolism is so fast.

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: foghorn67
I couldn't do it. Not enough protein. Wouldn't be good since my metabolism is so fast.

Your body synthesizes protein from amino acids. You can get all necessary amino acids from fruits and vegetables.

A fast matabolism would jsut mean you would have to eat more or eat calorically dense foods.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: randomlinh
yeah, with the increase in egg intake (unless you're doing mostly egg whites?) that'd be a ton of cholesterol. I need to start doing the same, but not looking to cut out meat... gotta have my steaks/burgers/chicken wings sometimes =)

The high cholesterol that some people experience is not the result of cholesterol in their food, but rather the production of it by their liver.

Standard supermarket eggs have a very high ratio of omega 6's to omega 3's, but eggs from free range chickens are balanced 1 to 1, which is the ratio we want. This actually lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol.

 

[JDub02]

until someone declares bacon a vegetable, count me out.

 

[FDF12389]

Originally posted by: JDub02
until someone declares bacon a vegetable, count me out.

Are you the same JDub02 that made custom triggers?

jw

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: JDub02
until someone declares bacon a vegetable, count me out.

Fried leeks + truffle oil == better than bacon, and I love bacon.

 

[Descartes]

dp

 

[Descartes]

tp

 

[UnatcoAgent]

Originally posted by: Descartes

Originally posted by: JDub02
until someone declares bacon a vegetable, count me out.

Fried leeks + truffle oil == better than bacon, and I love bacon.

I'll have to try that..

 

[FallenHero]

Originally posted by: Descartes

Originally posted by: JDub02
until someone declares bacon a vegetable, count me out.

Fried leeks + truffle oil == better than bacon, and I love bacon.

You must love it 3x as much as anyone else!

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: FallenHero

Originally posted by: Descartes

Originally posted by: JDub02
until someone declares bacon a vegetable, count me out.

Fried leeks + truffle oil == better than bacon, and I love bacon.

You must love it 3x as much as anyone else!

Woah, didn't notice that. That's been happening to me a lot lately.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Sabot

Originally posted by: Descartes

Originally posted by: JDub02
until someone declares bacon a vegetable, count me out.

Fried leeks + truffle oil == better than bacon, and I love bacon.

I'll have to try that..

The deliciousness is almost criminal. If you haven't started, truffle oil can add whole new dimensions to vegetarian food (or any food for that matter). As can a lot of spices, toasted seeds (I'm a huge fan of toasted sesame; I make a great goat cheese medallion app with honey glaze and toasted sesame and peppercorn), and garlic/shallots/onion as I'm sure you've discovered. Shallots are particularly neglected in my experience.

I'd also encourage you to look into Thai and Indian foods. Both have great things to offer, and you can go to the Asian market and pick up all the ingredients. They also have little cans of curry paste so you don't have to do it all by hand, and you can make a great panang curry in less than 30 minutes.

Time for me to go to lunch. I'm talking too much about food.

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Originally posted by: manowar821
... Every week, somebody says something or shows me something that pushes me ever closer to the brink of turning vegetarian. IF ONLY MY FATHER'S BURGERS WEREN'T SO DAMN GOOD

Bacon?

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Originally posted by: jman19

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Descartes

Originally posted by: txrandom

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
Check out Travis Barker. He used to be a vegan, got into the plane crash and almost died. His doctor instructed him to eat meat since supplements could not take the place of actual protein. He is no longer a vegan.

I'm not vegetarian, but nuts have plenty of protein don't they?

Yes, as do a ridiculous number of other things: lentils, garbanzo beans, soybeans, brown rice, fruits like apples and bananas, green peppers, spinach, etc. etc.

The "OMG there's no protein in vegetarian food!" is silly. A great percentage of the world treats meat as a luxury, not a daily ritual like much of the western culture. For them, vegetarian is much the norm.

And is it any wonder why those civilizations and beliefs have been conquered?

Let darwin rule, eliminate the weak.

If I'm reading this right, this might be one of the dumbest leaps of logic I've ever read on this forum.

I'm detecting large quantities of FAIL.

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: zerocool84

Originally posted by: Perknose

Originally posted by: MrMatt

Originally posted by: Sabot
Protein and Iron are both normal, haven't lost any weight or turned anemic

B12 was a bit low apparently - taking supplements now.

That's after cutting out all meat since Christmas

A few of you will wonder why: This was not an emotional choice. Poor digestion runs in the family, and was a routine problem for me. After cutting out any meat from my diet, I've never felt better.

Things I miss the most:
- Ribs
- Real burgers, though the patties made from compacted veg are pretty damn good
- Chicken probably the most

Major benefits I've noticed so far:
- Digestion and energy are way better
- Sexual energy has stayed the same, much more palatable according to the girlfriend
- Much cheaper, I've started buying better quality products in place of meat-related costs
- Hopefully no colon-cancer later in life

Discuss.

how is going vegetarian cheaper??

In that it costs less. Any other questions?

Shens

My Toca Bell burrito I'm eating right now was only 89 cents.

yeah, but that ain't meat.

Hey...

Dog and cat are still meat.

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Originally posted by: FDF12389

It is also hard on your liver to constantly use supplements for your protein intake.

WAT?

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: PlasmaBomb

Originally posted by: FDF12389

It is also hard on your liver to constantly use supplements for your protein intake.

WAT?

It's true that added protein puts a burden on liver, but it's normally not a problem except for people with a pre-existing liver condition.

 

[Fingolfin269]

I can't imagine being a vegetarian for even one day much less 3 months. I'm not even sure where I would start. Part of my issue is that I just don't like most fruits and only a handful of veggies to begin with. I hate salads. I think it must be the texture.

 

[Gothgar]

I'd rather die earlier and eat meat, thanks...

 

[AUMM]

Quinoa is an amazing source of protein for vegetarians/vegans/everyone

 

[Peetoeng]

Originally posted by: Sabot

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Sabot

Originally posted by: halik
No thanks,
besides loving meat, veggie diet would get really expensive if you you're on a high protein diet (aka maintain/build muscle). Plus i've never seen a muscular vegetarian...

Are you kidding? It's far cheaper, how expensive are eggs? It's a huge misconception that you need to eat only meat to get protein.

I've seen many muscular vegetarians - my girlfriend is one of them. There are many:

Vegan Athlete - Summary list of vegan/vegetarian

First of all, it would be egg whites (too much saturated fat in whole eggs) and even that you'd need a real assload of eggs to make up for 2 chicken breasts (standard meal). Plus all veggie source of protein (beans, lentils, tofu etc.) can be combined with meat for even better effect.

Also I'm sure you can be a vegetarian body builder if you tried hard, but it won't be anywhere near as cost effective or easy for that matter. The fact that it can be done doesn't mean it's a good idea...

2 chicken breasts are a standard meal? That's exactly why I gave up meat, we eat so much of it here.

GRAIN to CHICKEN conversion = 3:1
GRAIN to BEEF conversion = 13:1

GRAIN to Hans&Franz biceps = priceless.

It ain't cheap to be narcissistic!

 

[dullard]

Didn't read the thread, but thought I could add a suggestion.

I too have poor digestion and meat takes a big toll on me (especially any type of meat that I haven't eaten in a while or have never eaten). Meat and lettuce those are my arch enemies. But, I won't give them up. Instead, I started eating a yogurt a day (with live active cultures). My digestion problems have fallen. I have at least 80% fewer bad days, if not 90% fewer.

I am mostly vegetarian in my cooking. I'll cook meat about once or twice a month. But I will eat meat if offered or when I eat out (once or twice a week). And I'll sometimes eat a packet of lunch meat for a snack. A partly meat diet is about the ideal diet in my opinion for most people. I get my extra protein through beans, cheese, and whey. I'm doing quite well with my body building.

So, if you still have any trouble, I'd seriously consider adding yogurt or any similar source of bacteria to your intestines. It is, after all, the bacteria that differs from person to person and is often the true cause of digestion problems. I've even heard of fecal transplants to cure problems - I'd suggest yogurt first before taking that route.

 

[UnatcoAgent]

Originally posted by: dullard
Didn't read the thread, but thought I could add a suggestion.

I too have poor digestion and meat takes a big toll on me (especially any type of meat that I haven't eaten in a while or have never eaten). Meat and lettuce those are my arch enemies. But, I won't give them up. Instead, I started eating a yogurt a day (with live active cultures). My digestion problems have fallen. I have at least 80% fewer bad days, if not 90% fewer.

I am mostly vegetarian in my cooking. I'll cook meat about once or twice a month. But I will eat meat if offered or when I eat out (once or twice a week). And I'll sometimes eat a packet of lunch meat for a snack. A partly meat diet is about the ideal diet in my opinion for most people. I get my extra protein through beans, cheese, and whey. I'm doing quite well with my body building.

So, if you still have any trouble, I'd seriously consider adding yogurt or any similar source of bacteria to your intestines. It is, after all, the bacteria that differs from person to person and is often the true cause of digestion problems. I've even heard of fecal transplants to cure problems - I'd suggest yogurt first before taking that route.

Thanks for the input, typically I don't eat yogurt unless the g/f buys it, but I'll make a point of trying it out, especially if I start eating meat again.